


Diakko Week 2020 except i don't post every day im sorry

by Hellenar_TS



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Im trying my best, Kinda fluff maybe?, Mild Angst, Mild Language, Post-Canon, THEY ARE WIVES.., but my brain is just bleh, diakko week 2020, enjoy my incoherent gibberish, i am complete trash at writing angst holy frick, i'll update these tags later hsdjflksdjf, rainy day, sorry i couldn't post one for every day, space/stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellenar_TS/pseuds/Hellenar_TS
Summary: pretty self-explanatory lolonly ones i'll likely end up posting are days 3 (rain), 4 (au), and 6 (space/stars) anyway
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Day 3: Rainy Day

i spent hours making this drawing just so i could post it less than 3 hours before day 3 ends in my timezone sjdflsjdf

but here it is! anyway take some fresh art of witch lesbians enjoying the rain from indoors :)


	2. Day 4: AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> au time!!
> 
> my original plans for this au were absolutely huge so i had to cut it down a bit...but it still turned out really big in the end
> 
> also this was really rushed so it might be complete trash but it's late as heck so this is all i have to offer you :pensive:

The Capital was arguably the grandest city in the kingdom.  
  
Not solely because it was the capital, of course, but also because it was a brilliant hotspot of magic. The greatest of magical academies were founded there, as well as the most magnificent temples dedicated to the ancient goddesses of magic, the Nine Olde Witches. And not to mention, it was the home of the renowned Grand Witch, Chariot the Shining, famed all through the kingdom for her many heroic quests and escapades.  
  
Yes, yes, it was a great city, almost utopian in nature. At least, it used to be, before _they_ arrived.  
  
No one took too much notice, at first. In the beginning, they were seen as nothing more than a small group of people who so happened to oppose magic. People told themselves that these folk were not so great a deal, that they could be allowed to continue holding their anti-magical beliefs so long as they did not go out of their way to hurt people.  
  
And it was understandable. Not all magic was used for good, and so the citizens of the Capital thought that the tiny group that called themselves the Saints had simply bonded over their shared fears that any incidents with misused magic would occur in the future.  
  
But no…as it turned out, the Saints actually despised all magic. Good and bad alike. And if they hated that, they hated witches even more, for they were as patriarchal as they were anti-magic.  
  
A few weeks after they appeared in the Capital, signs of their hatred began to show, slowly at first. But what began as a handful of people looking down upon witchkind evolved into arresting professors of magical schools, capturing any known witches who even so much as dared to show their faces, and even desecrating shrines dedicated to the Nine. They hated magic, abhorred it, demonized it. And when they, led by Lord Blackwell, took total control over the Capital several months later, their tyranny could no longer go unnoticed, and alas, nor could it be defied.  
  
So it was no surprise that the Grand Witch herself mysteriously vanished one night, leaving her confused and terrified apprentices without a master.  
  
Two of those budding witches were particularly distressed about the disappearance of the mage.  
  
One of them was Diana, formerly of the esteemed House of Cavendish, who was forced to run away from everything she’d known when she was fifteen and took refuge in the then-majestic Capital.  
  
The other was Atsuko, once a homeless orphan who’d never known a life of stability and peace who resorted to wandering in search of safety and so happened to wind up in the same place Diana did.  
  
They’d initially taken to each other with an air of distrust. At first, Diana had looked down on Atsuko, or rather, Akko, and the latter had resented the former’s position in the aristocracy, but eventually the two learned more about each other and inevitably grew closer.  
  
And as it turned out, they actually did have quite a bit in common. Both of them were practically nobodies now, rejected by a world that had been cruel in ways however different. Both of them were united by their passion for magic, despite having such opposite backgrounds - Akko did not possess any magical lineage, and Diana had come from a long line of healers.  
  
And both of them shared a burning desire to study under the watch of Chariot.  
  
Their new lives at the Capital had taken some time getting used to, since neither of them really had anything, but once Chariot took them in almost as if they were her own, everything had, for once, been peaceful, stable, and predictable.  
  
But perfect times never lasted, and so they and all the other apprentices were turned out into a world that they’d thought could not grow more bitter, desperately seeking places where they could hide from the heartless reality beyond.  
  


* * *

  
It was easier for them to live with nothing because they already had nothing to begin with.  
  
Chariot had given them food and shelter, and they’d been rather well off, but they never really had more than a couple sets of clothes to themselves.  
  
Diana and Akko eventually found shelter in a shop called the Last Wednesday Society. The shopowner was a sympathetic man, but they sensed the paranoia in him as well, for he measured his words a little too carefully and never once told them his name.  
  
The place itself was cramped. The shop was small and dingy, and the owner didn’t have any guest rooms for the two young women to sleep in, only able to offer them the tiny space of floor behind the counter. However, the times were dark, and they didn’t have anywhere else to go that they knew of, so they supposed they could make do with what they had. Besides, the owner did seem rather friendly, and he’d promised to let them know if he caught wind of any place better that they could stay.  
  
Unfortunately, every morning they asked him, and every morning they came up empty. It eventually got to the point when he would just tell them once they were awake or showed their faces in the shop, but still, nothing.  
  
But they could make do with that. Besides, once they got used to the place, it wasn’t so terrible, and besides, they were lucky to have found anywhere at all.  
  
One day, a Saint had stopped by the Last Wednesday for an inspection. The shopkeeper hadn’t anticipated the visit, and there was nothing that he could do to hide them in time without seeming suspicious. It was very fortunate that Diana and Akko both happened to still be inside his room, and equally fortunate that they both managed to squeeze into the closet just in time.  
  
They didn’t know how they actually made it without being noticed, but they couldn’t risk anything like that happening a second time, lest they not be so lucky.  
  
So the two witches came up with a plan. Both of them were adept with metamorphosis magic, that being one of the basics they’d been taught while studying under the Grand Witch, so throughout the day, they’d transform themselves into animals - Diana into a cat and Akko into a mouse - to hide from the eyes of the Saints and make it easier to move around, only resuming their human forms late at night when they went to sleep. And whenever any of the Saints did stop by, the shopkeeper need only pretend that he had a rodent problem, cat Diana would chase mouse Akko around the shop, and they’d buy it. They’d originally intended to only put on those magical disguises whenever they knew a Saint was coming, but after yet another very close call, they decided to play it even safer. Besides, feeding a cat and a mouse was easier than feeding two young adults.  
  
In retrospect, they probably should’ve thought about that earlier, but what was done was done, and sooner was better than later anyway.  
  
True, ultimately the conditions weren’t the best of the best, but those who did have the best hoarded it for themselves.  
  
So weeks went by, and all the while, they continued to hope that the Saints would meet their downfall.  
  
But the Saints were just as good at keeping power as they were at stealing it.  
  


* * *

  
The pressure of constantly being in hiding and scanning their surroundings took a heavy toll on both the witches and on the shopkeeper.

The owner clearly hadn’t been through anything of the like before, and while Diana and Akko had been through similar situations in the past, it had been nowhere near as severe. Everyone was always on edge, always on the lookout. Not even in sleep could any of them find solace.

And late one evening, when the two witches were preparing to go to sleep, Diana broke.

The weight of everything had simply become too much for her, in that moment. She didn’t know what compelled the taut string to snap so suddenly, but it had to happen eventually.

She just didn’t want it to be like that.

It had all gone by so fast. One moment she was doing just fine, and the next, Akko was sitting up and asking if she was okay, and then Diana was breaking down in front of her, missing her mother, missing her home, missing _being more than nothing_ , all the thoughts in her mind coming out in the form of heaved, choking breaths.

Diana didn’t like showing her emotions for a reason, and the snap of the string was proof enough that that reason existed.

She despised vulnerability, not in others, but in herself. She’d grown up without many people who cared or bothered to be there for her when those weaknesses showed, and the few that did were either dead or left behind.

In the three years she’d spent as an orphan in the Cavendish Manor and the four years she’d spent alone in the outside world, before meeting Akko for the first time, she’d grown accustomed to bearing a constant mask of neutrality. She’d convinced herself that if she hid her emotions away from everyone else, they’d disappear eventually. But as with every lie that someone tells themselves…they all know, deep down, what the truth really is.

And the truth was, Diana could not run away.

So her thoughts and emotions gathered, heavy and agonizing, and she kept them buried deep inside, all the while.

Until Akko had come into her life and had slowly worn the mask down, bit by bit, until it just…cracked.

She wanted to blame Akko for it all, but she knew it was no one’s fault but her own. And besides, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, letting her emotions go free.

It was so painful, feeling everything all at the same time.

And yet, it felt so… _liberating_.

The tears would not subside for a while, but when at last they did, Diana felt just a little bit lighter.

Akko stayed with her the whole time, sitting side by side in the shadow of the shelves that lined the counter of the shop and their makeshift sleeping area. Diana’s breathing was still a little unsteady, but the worst of it was gone now.

Then Akko spoke up, her voice barely a whisper.

“…What was she like? Your…your mother, I mean.”

Diana turned slightly in Akko’s general direction.

“What’s it like, having a real family?”

She did not face her or say anything.

“That’s okay. If you’re not too comfortable with telling -”

“She was kind.”

Diana’s voice was still hoarse with tears, but now it was much more even.

“She…contracted a terrible illness, and despite our healer background, we still couldn’t save her. A bit ironic…isn’t it? But that’s beside the point.

“Despite her sickness, she always tried her best to be there for me. She was the only person I could truly rely on when I was younger, because I never knew my father, and my aunt and cousins were…not very pleasant.”

“Oh?”

Diana nodded. “Not everyone in a blood family is always kind and dependable. But…family doesn’t have to be blood. I suppose it can just be those who are closer to you. If you love them, they can be considered family, in some respects. Mother was the only real family I had for a time, and I lost her. Then Chariot was my family, and she’s gone too. And now…”

_Now you’re the closest I’ve got to family, but I don’t want to lose someone else I care so deeply about._

__

__

I love you.

_And I don’t want to lose you, like I lost all the others._

“…I don’t know if I have anyone left.”

Akko shook her head in disbelief. “Diana, are you serious?”

“What?”

She looked back at her with those deep red eyes. The crimson had been dulled by the cruelty and emptiness of the world, and no matter how used she was to seeing them so hollow at that point, it never stopped hurting her.

So, to see a tiny bit of light flicker inside them, however little, brought her a spark of her own.

Her smile was a little bittersweet, but there was a determination to it, no matter how faint it might have been, because it was still there and that was all they needed.

“C’mon, Diana. We’ll always have each other. And even if we run out of things to believe in, even if this stupid world takes everything else away from us…we can always believe in one another.”

“I know, Akko…” Diana sighed. “I have no problem believing in you…but I just can’t believe in myself. I want to be able to, but I just can’t seem to get it through my head.”

“Diana.”

Akko firmly planted her hands on the blonde’s shoulders. Diana inhaled sharply at the touch and looked up into those flickering red eyes.

“Listen to me.”

“…I’m listening.”

Akko gently shook her head. “Diana…I can’t ever stress this enough. The world might treat us like we’re nobodies, or even worse than nobodies…but the world’s not always right, is it?”

“But we are nobody,” lamented Diana. “I don’t have anywhere I can go back to. Ever since I was forced to run away, that was almost all I could do. I only ever ran from the world, never towards it.”

Akko chuckled. “I’ve been running from shit my whole life…and I have you.”

“But what’s the point of running to someone when you’ve both been doing nothing but running away?”

“ _Diana_.”

Diana paused.

“We don’t have to always be running away.”

Akko broke eye contact with Diana, looking wistfully towards the ground. “I get that both of us are just used to it, and I’m no exception at all, so it might sound hypocritical of me to say that. But I mean it, you know?

“Maybe someday we won’t have to worry about which way we’re running. Someday we won’t have to focus so much on what’s behind us, so we can look ahead instead. But while the world’s still like this and we still have to run away from a lot of things…we can at least run side by side.”

Once again, sparkling ruby looked back into sapphire.

“And I know there’s nothing I want more than to be with you, so…that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

Diana felt something flutter in her chest at those words.

“Promise?”

Akko’s smile morphed into a more optimistic one, and the brunette pulled her into a tight hug. Diana let out an uncharacteristic squeak as she felt her face flush even deeper at the close contact, but she relaxed into the comforting touch. And both found their first true moments of peace ever since the Capital had fallen in that very embrace.

The brunette’s words might have been no louder than a breath, but it was all that Diana needed to hear.

“Promise.”

* * *

The next day, everything went on as usual.

Diana and Akko appeared from behind the shelf, already in their animal disguises. Every morning was the same: searching for just a hint of news, a sign of anywhere else they could head or anything else they could do.

But…

“Nothing, sorry,” he sighed.

Like always.

Life went on like that for ages. The Saints would not be relinquishing their power any time soon. If anything, that power seemed to be growing. Diana and Akko knew that they would not be able to leave any time soon, no matter what other safe places lay out there. Even if there was still an opportunity for them to leave, even if they held on to what little hope they had left, days, weeks, months would pass without any signals or messages. Aside from the two of them growing steadily closer together, not much ever changed. And so they stayed there, hidden in the little comfort that could be found in the Last Wednesday, not sure how much time had gone by and not really caring.

That is, until one morning, the shopkeeper presented the two with a small note.

“Oho, ladies,” he’d exclaimed, his eyes shining in mutual excitement. “You’ll love the sound of this!”

* * *

The note had carried directions to another safe place, warning them to only go in the dead of night and telling them to look for a bored-looking bartender and ask for their worst wine.

The Last Wednesday shopkeeper had been very hospitable and kind to the two of them. That was undeniable, but when Diana and Akko eventually left the place one late night and parted ways with the man, the relief on his face was hard to miss.

The two witches followed the directions to a short, unassuming building that looked like it was being squeezed by the two around it.

The place was well hidden without even a sign to indicate its location, and they probably would’ve missed it if they weren’t actively searching for it, but this was the spot, and so they shrugged and entered.

As they stepped inside, they found that it was even smaller and more cramped than the Last Wednesday had been, lit only by a small candle. It appeared to be a very small bar, and there was no one else in the room except for a very bored-looking fellow about their age wiping down the counter.

“Ah, thank the Light,” the bartender sighed, glancing briefly in their direction. “Any longer and I might as well have died alone in ‘ere. I was actually about to close up shop for the night, but is there anything I can getcha? Say,” - a pair of piercing green eyes narrowed in suspicion - “you’re not one of those _heathens_ , are you?”

Akko gulped and desperately searched for words and excuses in her head, but then beside her, a very calm and collected Diana replied, “No, my good fellow, we’re just ordinary travelers who happen to be passing through this city. And as for what we want…we’re looking for the worst wine that you’ve got.”

Eyebrows raised, the bartender looked at them, and then _laughed_. Actually laughed, left hand casually brushing back a head of fiery hair. “That’s…an unusual request. Thankfully, I think I might have something for both o’ you. Just hang on a sec.”

And then the bartender extinguished the candle, stepped out from behind the counter, and locked the front door.

The room was almost pitch-black, but a hoarse whisper from somewhere nearby guided them towards where they needed to go. “Hey. Try not to make too much noise, or those Saint bastards’ll catch us. C’mere!”

Retreating behind the counter once again, the redhead moved aside a false tile on the floor, revealing a trapdoor and a downward spiral staircase, and then retreated into it, beckoning them to follow all the while.

Diana and Akko looked at each other, shrugged, and obeyed, remembering to slide the tile back on top as they descended.

“So you guys found the spot! This room is soundproofed, so don’t worry about keeping too quiet. Man, I gotta thank Consey for being able to build all of this in such a short amount of time,” the redhead was saying. “And yeah, she might be a witch just like you and I - yep, shocker, I was a witch all along - but this is just _wild_. I mean, look at this! This only took her a month! I _still_ wonder how she does it.”

She gestured at the staircase, which slowly grew more spacious the further down they went. The two still-befuddled witches thought they spotted a little bit of light at the bottom.

“Anyway,” she continued, “the name’s Amanda. ‘S nice to meet you…?”

“Diana.”

“Just call me Akko.”

“Cool, cool! Diana. Akko. Now c’mon,” she shouted, “my buddy Jas made snacks!”

They continued down the stairway while Amanda rambled on and on about who knows what, and Akko eventually joined in. The brunette had that effect on people, warming up to most strangers almost instantly. Diana soon noticed that together, Akko and Amanda were very talkative and _very_ loud, but the sound of friendly conversation in a world that was anything but friendly was not so bad, she thought.

She smiled to herself all the way down while the two new friends chatted animatedly in front of her.

“And we’re here!” Amanda announced once all three of them made it to the bottom of the stairwell. There was only a small door with a single lantern, so it didn’t look like much, but Amanda had said that the place would be as friendly as it got in the Capital. She’d only ever mentioned two people, so Diana and Akko’s initial impression had been that the place would be little more than a few rooms.

They hadn’t been expecting an entire crowd.

But that’s what they got when Amanda knocked on the door and then pushed it open in an exaggerated sweep.

…Not to mention that the entrance hall - the freaking entrance hall - was probably twice the size of the entire Last Wednesday at least.

The crowd was mostly young adults about their age, but Diana and Akko spotted a few older witches, and a…fish?…among them as well. Most of them were strangers, but they thought they recognized a couple people. There was Lotte, whose family ran a general store for magical paraphernalia before they were forced to abandon it after the Capital fell into the wrong hands. Sucy, who used to work as an apothecary and was almost arrested by a couple Saints, but allegedly managed to escape by literally melting them on the spot. Akko saw a friendly-looking girl with pink braids standing in the distance and carrying a very full tray, presumably the “Jas” that Amanda had mentioned earlier.

When they’d been told that there was a safe haven for witches, they honestly hadn’t expected there to be so many all in one place.

A noticeable silence fell over the entire crowd as they noticed the new arrivals, and hundreds of faces turned to the two strangers. Their expressions and reactions were varied. A few jolted, as though preparing to take off and run. Most of them just looked on, frozen in surprise, fear, and excitement.

The door swung shut behind them.

Nearby, a shy-looking woman with deep blue hair and glasses turned to Amanda and broke the silence. “I see you’ve brought some more students along?”

Students?

And then it hit them.

This was more than just a haven. This was a _school_. A full-on underground academy, devoted to continuing the magical studies literally right under the Saints’ noses. So that’s why so many of them looked the same age as they were! Those had to be students, and the older witches must be teachers as well!

Diana and Akko’s hearts both filled with newfound wonder at the revelation. A wonder and euphoria that had only been paralleled twice before, first when they’d first set foot within the Capital during its golden days, and second when Chariot had taken them in.

“That’s right, professor! Two fresh arrivals, right off the streets!” Amanda answered, her expression triumphant. “Diana and Akko, everybody!”

In the background, the students cheered and jabbered away excitedly. Something flashed in the blue-haired woman’s eyes, though the glasses made her expression difficult to read. But whatever was there faded back into a warm and motherly smile.

“See, Cons? I told ya!” Amanda was saying to a short and grumpy-looking witch, while the crowd buzzed with energy and the other professors did their best to contain them. “I just know we’ll be able to get the better of those fuckers yet!”

“Language,” the woman gently admonished. She then turned her focus to the two new witches. “W-Well, then. Diana and Akko, correct?”

Still mostly frozen in a mixture of disbelief and enthusiasm, they could only nod.

“It’s nice to meet you two. Just call me Professor Ursula.”

She opened her arms in a gesture of welcome.

“And welcome to the academy of the new moon, where our true strength and unity shall shine even if no one else can see it. Welcome,” she greeted, “to Luna Nova!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaa
> 
> apologies again for this being rushed as hell i literally don't know what i'm doing i am running on 2 int and 0 brain juice


	3. Day 6: Space/Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't really mention space or stars all that much but hopefully this still counts??? this sounded better in my head and i like this better than the absolute mess that was day 4 but it's still kinda rushed and ehh
> 
> but yeah, this is my last submission for diakko week 2020! i wasn't able to do the others, and honestly idk if i'll be able to do ship weeks in the future anyway (unless i prepare REALLY ahead of time)
> 
> after this reawakened ch.2 coming soonish and hopefully in better quality than any of these i promise hngg

Akko’s dreams of becoming a performer had not been for nothing.

She just had a natural ability with crowds and performing, if the Enchanted Parade and Samhain festivals all those years ago had been any indication. That, coupled with how she and people, especially children, just seemed to click.

Possibly because Akko was just an endless fountain of joy that could make even the coldest and hardest of hearts warm up to her, given enough time.

And Diana would know. She’d been one of them.

Now, as she sat in the front row of Akko’s debut show, the culmination of her journey to become a performer and the start of her life as one, it only confirmed that she would never trade the happiness that she felt - the happiness that Akko had led her to realize all those years ago was not just something she should be okay with feeling, but that she deserved to feel - for the world.

Because Akko was her world, and if this was a world in which she could always be happy, she wanted to stay in it.

Of course, to almost everyone else in the audience, she was just the Scarlet Star, the savior of magic, the successor of Shiny Chariot.

Oh, but to Diana, the bright and cheery woman on stage was so much more than that. This was her universe. This was her _wife_ , the witch that managed to subvert everyone’s expectations. For anyone else, this was a witch who could perform the most extraordinary magic as though it were as easy as breathing, but Diana and a select few people in the crowd knew that that was not the case at all - or perhaps, it was now, but it was never so simple in the beginning.

Now it felt almost impossible to think that the debuting performer, so full of confidence and exuberance, had once been a bumbling girl who couldn’t even ride a broom.

But Akko always managed to do the impossible, didn’t she?

And ultimately, she had become what she’d sought to become. She’d spent years working towards that dream, and now she’d made it.

But she was much more than just the Scarlet Star.

After all, if Shiny Chariot had been a star, then Akko was the entire sky.

And not just because her performance easily outshined those of her childhood idol. If Chariot had given her a dream, it was Akko who made it possible to fulfill it. And fulfill it they did, all those years ago, soaring at the edge of the world, watching Yggdrasil stretch its limbs as every celestial body in the cosmos seemed to pause in their heavenly orbits, feeling so small and yet so big at the same time - _together_.

Now, surrounded by the pure magic and love that Akko exuded as naturally as her heart beat, it felt like that day all over again. It was just as phenomenal, just as wondrous, if not more.

But Diana knew that Akko would never have gotten to either of those points without everyone else, and though Akko did her best not to spoil anything, she knew that her friends were also working behind the scenes to make her performance absolutely stunning, not to mention the extensive tutoring she received from Professor Chariot even after graduating.

Even now, the senior tutor beside her looked on in awe and almost motherly adoration, more than willing to accept that her pupil had not only lived up to her teachings, but had far surpassed them.

Diana smiled. Akko was having the time of her life, and so was she.

Setting her thoughts and musings aside, she sat back and just enjoyed the show.

* * *

…

That.

Was.

_Otherworldly._

Diana found herself at a complete and utter loss for words after the performance ended. The auditorium was filled with applause and cheers, and she had to actively remind herself to join them instead of just sitting there gaping.

Never had the performance ceased to surprise and amaze her throughout the entirety of it, and all of a sudden she was six years old again, watching Chariot vanish into the air, her trademark message still echoing in her mind - except _so much better_. She was left breathless after every act, and by the Nine, that _finale_ …that finale had been nothing short of spectacular, and that was an understatement.

And as she watched Akko, who was equally amazed at the sheer amount of positive reception she was getting, she felt tears sting in her eyes. She was so proud of how far she had come, so full of pride and admiration and love.

Mic in hand, Akko made a final announcement while the applause slowly died down. “Thank you all so, so much for coming out here tonight! But before you all head out, I’d like to give my special thanks to some equally special people…”

Oh?

“When I say I couldn’t have made it here without you, I mean all of you. So I think that all of you deserve the spotlight just as much! First of all, a big thank you to all of my friends, who really helped to bring every bit of this show to life! Come on out, everyone!”

As the audience gave their first round of applause, her friends filed out onstage, all expressing their excitement and gratitude in various ways. Lotte appeared rather nervous about being in front of thousands of people, but she seemed really happy for Akko, understandably so. Sucy just looked really tired, as always, but she still gave a small wave to the crowd. Amanda, despite her initial surprise, ultimately seemed like she was living for the attention. Jasminka just looked happy to be there, exuding joy just as much as Akko exuded energy. And Constanze was _smiling_. Despite how quiet she was, her small and rare smile spoke volumes on its own. Her Stanbot, on the other hand, was a lot more expressive, hopping around the stage and emitting mechanical and tinny sounds of celebration. Hannah and Barbara made their way out from backstage as well, much to Diana’s surprise - she’d known that the two had warmed up to Akko a little over the years, but she didn’t expect them to also show up, let alone actively be working on set.

“Next, I’d like to thank my idol, mentor, and professor, Shiny Chariot herself! We’re really lucky to have her here with us, because it gets really busy back at Luna Nova, so show her some appreciation too, folks!”

Chariot bashfully stood up from her own spot in the crowd as there was a second round of applause. She clearly wasn’t used to the attention anymore, having left her days as a performer far behind, but nonetheless, her expression openly displayed her appreciation, and she even did a tiny bow.

“Professor Chariot, I remember that show you did in Japan like it was yesterday,” Akko went on. “It was the first time I got to see such incredible magic in person, and it was that performance that inspired me to be like you…to share my magic with the world and make everyone smile!”

Chariot appeared a little uncomfortable at the mention of the fated performance when she’d used Dream Fuel Spirit without realizing the true repercussions, but Akko’s expression was one of understanding, and so the senior performer seemed to relax.

“Even if I did realize that…some things happened, it wasn’t your fault, and even if it was, I wouldn’t have any hard feelings at all. You still mean a lot to me, and without you, I wouldn’t have had this dream in the first place. I wouldn’t have met the people that I did, and I wouldn’t have saved magic either.

“You told me that a believing heart is our magic, and…I still believe it. Everyone should believe it, because if I hadn’t believed in myself I never would have taken the first step, and if other people hadn’t started believing in me I never would have gone anywhere. So everyone, remember to believe in yourselves, and in each other! Thank you so much for giving so many people, including myself, a dream that we could work towards!”

Chariot looked like she wanted to shrink as the audience applauded for her again, but when she looked up to face Akko, Diana thought she really did look like a proud mother.

“And lastly,” announced Akko, the applause dying out once more, “there’s another, very very special guest with us tonight.”

Akko turned to face Diana and gestured for her to stand, crimson eyes filled with a brilliant light. The sparks of passion that blossomed in them were more than just stars. They were galaxies.

And if Diana had been able to see her own reflection in that moment, she would’ve seen the same light in her very own eyes.

Diana stood, and she couldn’t help but feel everyone’s eyes on her.

“I…oh gosh, I don’t know what to say,” Akko laughed. “It’s just…wow. You’re just the best person I’ve ever had the fortune to meet, and even if we did have a rocky start, I’m really grateful that both of us took the time to know each other better. And I’ve said this before, but that day when you told me that you believed in my believing heart…it meant the whole world to me. I’m so thankful that you kept supporting me through everything we ever went through. And now, we’ve finally made it, and more than ever, I believe in our believing hearts!”

Diana’s face grew warm. They were married, for Jennifer’s sake; how did Akko still manage to fluster her so much after all these years?

…On second thought, if she ever got used to it, the world wouldn’t be so full of happy surprises anymore.

“Diana, I don’t think anything else I say or do can possibly do my feelings justice,” Akko continued, her eyes shimmering, “so I’m just gonna say, I love you more than anyone and anything in the world! Thank you for being here for me! Everyone, please give it up for Diana Cavendish-Kagari, my absolutely amazing wife!”

As the audience applauded and roared with a deafening magnitude, Diana felt her cheeks flush even further, this time with mild embarrassment. She’d been used to public attention before, what with being the head of the Cavendish House and all, but none of that could ever compare to what she felt in that moment.

Much of the praise she received as a Cavendish had been the results of expectation upon expectation, and often the words were empty. Things she’d all heard before, things like being able to live up to those terribly high standards just because she was a Cavendish.

The attention that she got from Akko as just Diana was a completely different world on its own, even when those moments had just been for the two of them to enjoy, in private company.

But never before had she received the same adoration in front of a live crowd of at least a thousand.

And certainly not for the hundreds of thousands more who would be watching or rewatching the show.

Diana was overwhelmed by a million emotions all at once. Quite a bit of embarrassment, yes, but mostly love. So much love and affection that she just might burst.

“What are you waiting for, Di?” Akko asked, no longer speaking into the mic but addressing Diana on her own. “Come on up!”

A still somewhat overwhelmed Diana hesitated for a moment, and then all but _ran_ onstage, pulled Akko into an embrace, and whispered, “Akko, my dear wife…I want to say that you’re the brightest star in my sky, but you make even the sun seem dark in comparison. I’m so happy that you’re my world, and I just want you to know that this is the only world I want to live in. I…I just love you so much.”

“Holy shit,” Akko breathed, her expression so soft it made Diana’s heart melt just looking at it. “I know we’re already married, but when did you get so _cheesy_?”

Diana smiled. “I learned from the very best.”

And then she leaned forward, and closed the gap.

Akko’s eyes flashed with surprise, but she returned the kiss with equally heartfelt euphoria, and as their eyes closed, everything else seemed to melt away.

In the background, Akko’s friends cheered. Constanze’s rare smile stretched still wider while her Stanbot played a fanfare and punched the air, Lotte and Barbara swooned, and Amanda guffawed. The crowd roared even louder, if it was even possible.

But none of that mattered, because in that moment, the two felt, once more, as though they were floating off the ground and soaring among the stars, in a universe of their very own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's everything! again sorry i could only post 3 out of 7 days, next time i'll probably get started a lot earlier because this was just a whole pile of stress for me
> 
> i don't know what else to say
> 
> a

**Author's Note:**

> you made it!! :D leave a kudos if you enjoyed and maybe drop a comment too, constructive feedback is always appreciated!


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